Talk to me about track days (SW)

Interested in booking a track day for two somewhere in the SW of England (or thereabouts). Seen a wide range of prices and cars available, with no real clue of what to go for. If it helps I've never driven anything more powerful than a van..

it depends what you like. If you like a specific make of car then choose that. A driving fast track day will be an entirely different experience to a experience track day if you see what I mean.

Here's my experience....

Ferrari track day - awful. Limiter on the car, ferrari's are shit.
Porsche track day - porche's generally drive nice
Aston Martin - still a limiter on the car but the cars are way nicer
Formula ford - awesome! No limiter, try and keep up with the fast guy, proper racing cars.
Drift day - OK I guess, very short.
Palmer sport day - very, very expensive but absolutely amazing. Racing nose to tail in an M3 with other guys in M3's was so much fun. Drifting caterham's around a twisty track almost had me sex weeing.

I raced gokarts for a while too. 125cc race. That was fun too but there is so much technique involved. This teaches you how to race,

I guess it depends what you want to get from it - if you want supercar noise and experience then that's one thing - if you want to experience something you've not done before than you won't get much more bang for your buck than a caterham/Westfield day.

Although not technically in the SW, Westfield do handling days which are supposed to be good fun.

Alternatively - do you have a car that you can take on a trackday? If it's just the driving that your interested in then just take your car and drive that around for the day!

It might feel a bit weird but I'm pretty sure you'll leave with a smile on your face! Apart from my kit car I've also driven a Ferrari 430, Audi R8 and Formula Ford around a track. The formula ford was the most unusual/memorable sensation but it was a real pleasure driving the Ferrari and the Audi.

I've not driven either of the locations you describe but for a day like you've linked to i don't think the location makes a huge difference . You'll be thinking about so much stuff that the exact track layout probably won't be top of your list!

Did loads on my motorbike, in the UK and Europe, they're seriously addictive. Driving/riding on a track is bloody great fun, the amount of grip available and therefore cornering speed is phenomenal. The experience you have linked to looks brilliant. Castle Combe is a very straightforward track, but great fun, and fast as. Do it!

You don't need a whole day with an instructor. At CC you can buy a trackday, using your own car and get an instructor to sit in with you for a few laps at no extra cost. Dave from touring car was there as an instructor. Then all you need to do is practice what they have told you.

What the instructor told me, sticks with me today, a year later. Just like when you go see Jedi.